الجمعة، 14 ديسمبر، 2012

أخبار المقاتلات الحديثه

From 10 to 13 December 2012, a team of ministry of defence specialists
has successfully completed flight tests of the new Gripen F Demonstrator
at Linköping, Sweden.

Two flights in the two-seat aircraft were intended as a risk-reduction
measure, in the context of the further development of Gripen.

As is usual during complex acquisitions, project progress by industry is
closely monitored by an interdisciplinary project team.

The support of the work aimed at reducing risk in the development of the
existing Gripen C/D aircraft into the upgraded Gripen E/F.

As was already the case in early May 2012, during the first series of
test flights in Sweden, a Swiss flight test team led by the armasuisse
defence procurement agency visited the facilities of manufacturer Saab
in Linköping from Dec. 10-13.

This small team, comprising pilots and a flight test engineer, carried
out in close collaboration with the aircraft manufacturer, Saab, and the
manufacturer of the radar, Selex Galileo of Great Britain, two flights
in the Gripen F demonstrator equipped with an AESA radar.

The radar fitted to the demonstrator is a test version employing the
latest AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Array) technology.

The four-day program was focused on testing the test radar’s integration
into the Gripen F demonstrator, and primarily allowed verification of
the following features:
- Assembly
- Radar cooling
- Electrical power supply; and
- Data exchange between the radar and the mission computer.

The first day was mainly devoted to the preparation of flights with the
different partners. Both flights took place on the second and third
days, while the fourth and final day was devoted to the analysis of the
results and the determination of the sequence of future activities.

Data recorded by the aircraft during both flights, and simultaneously
transmitted in real time through a protected connection, will now be
used by Saab and Selex Galileo, the manufacturer of the AESA raersion
dar, for further development.

Next Steps

In 2013 and 2014, the prototype of the new AESA radar will be tested
further by the industrial partners (both in the laboratory and in
flight). The Swiss test team will continue to closely monitor the
development program.

Gripen F Demonstrator

The Gripen F demonstrator which Swiss pilots flew in Sweden is an
intermediate version between the Gripen C/D now in service and the
future Gripen E.

This two-seater demonstrator, derived from a modified Gripen D airframe,
made its first flight on May 27, 2008, and since then has accumulated
over 250 flight hours. The demonstrator is a platform for testing
subsystems of the Gripen E/F.

The Gripen F demonstrator is powered by a General Electric F414G engine.

It is fitted with internal fuel tanks of greater capacity, part of the
new avionics suite (in the cockpit), two additional under-fuselage
weapon hard-points and a new main landing gear.

Differences between the Gripen C/D and Gripen E

The main differences between the Gripen D flight-tested by Switzerland
in 2008, and the Gripen E which Switzerland now plans to procure, are:
- More powerful engine
- Greater payload and internal fuel capacity
- Two additional under-fuselage hand-points
- New landing gear
- New radar employing the latest AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Array) technology.
- Passive Infrared search and tracking sensor
- New avionics, including a new cockpit
- New electronic warfare (EW) suite.

Since the decision of the Federal Council on November 30, 2011 to
acquire the Gripen E as the new fighter aircraft of the Swiss Air Force,
the DDPS’ Gripen team has successfully passed a series of milestones
on the Gripen acquisition process.

Since the signature of the statement of intent regarding the
intensification of cooperation between the Ministry of Defence of the
Kingdom of Sweden and the DDPS in the field of security policy and
defense, on June 29, 2012, and the August 24, 2012 signature of the
related Framework Agreement, the Federal Council on November 14, 2012
approved a message to Parliament on the acquisition of Gripen and its
financing. (ends)

Brazil Prepares for Production of New Combat Missile
From 2015, the Brazilian Air Force will receive the A-Darter missile,
which will be able to maneuver up to 10 times faster than a fighter jet.

This new technology, the result of a joint development between Brazil
and South Africa, has already reached the end of the test phase, and is
ready to move into the next phase, large-scale production.

Last Thursday, December 6, the Air Force Command signed with the company
Denel do Brasil a contract worth 1.4 million reals to prepare for the
missile’s production at the industrial park of São José dos Campos (Sao
Paolo state). This missile will equip the modernized version of the
A-1 fighter as well as the future F-X2 fighter.

The production of the new missile will involve several Brazilian
companies, including Mectron, Avibras and Opto Electronics, which have
benefited from a transfer of technology in areas such as optics,
navigation, sensors and image processing.

Brazil joined the A-Darter development in 2006, and is co-owner of the
intellectual and industrial property rights to the missile.

According to the Technical Manager of Denel do Brazil, Everton de Paula,
the San Jose dos Campos facility will manufacture all the missiles
that will be acquired by the Brazilian air force, as well as components
for missiles that may be exported by Brazil and South Africa to other
countries.

"This agreement represents another step towards effective implementation
of technology transfer. The technology we had previously was
third-generation; this is a major leap, and we will now move to a
fifth-generation missile," he said.

Characteristics

Weighing 90 kg and 2.98 meters long, the A-Darter missile is an
air-to-air weapon, designed to be launched from aircraft against aerial
targets. For this, it is fitted with a sensor that detects the heat of
airplanes and helicopters for guidance purposes.

The technological difference is that, unlike older missiles, a fighter
armed with an A-Darter missile will be able to engage targets that are
not only in its front sector, but also to the sides and even to the rear
of the aircraft.

Another technology unprecedented in Brazil is thrust vectoring, which
consists in changing the direction of the missile motor’s exhaust.

In addition to the movement of the four small "wings," a
thrust-vectoring missile is capable of making snap movements up to 100
times the force of gravity (100G), while combat aircraft are generally
limited to only nine times (9G).

The missile also produces less smoke than older models, making it more difficult to detect.

The Chairman of the Program Coordinator Combat Aircraft Program’s
Coordinating Committee (COPAC), Brigadier Carlos Baptista de Almeida
Junior, praised the characteristics of the missile during the contract
signing ceremony contract with Denel do Brasil.

"Seeing the start of production in Brazil of a fifth generation missile
is certain proof that we are providing our pilots the very latest
equipment," he said

Australia has sent a letter of
request (LOR) to the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency seeking
information on costs and availability for a possible purchase of 24
additional Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornets.According to a joint statement from
Australia's defence minister Stephen Smith and defence materiel
minister Jason Clare, the LOR is the latest step in a process assessing
Australia's air combat capability options in the light of delays to
the Lockheed Martin F-35A Joint Strike Fighter and the retirement of the Royal Australian Air Force's 71 F/A-18A/B Hornets."The sending of this LOR does not
commit Australia to purchase more Super Hornets," it says. "It is being
sent so that the Australian Government can consider all options in
2013 with the latest cost and availability information."The timing of any decision indicates that this may be left for a new government, with elections due in 2013.In May, Smith announced that it was
pushing back the acquisition of an initial 12 F-35As until 2014-2015
to reduce costs, adding that it would launch an transition plan to
assess options to ensure that a gap does not emerge in the RAAF's air
combat capability.Australia received its 24 Super
Hornets between March 2010 and October 2011, which were acquired by the
previous government to cover the gap between the retirement of the General Dynamics F-111 fleet and the introduction of the F-35A.In August, Canberra committed to transition 12 of the aircraft to the electronic warfare EA-18 Growler configuration at the end of 2020.

Australia has sent a letter of
request (LOR) to the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency seeking
information on costs and availability for a possible purchase of 24
additional Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornets.According to a joint statement from
Australia's defence minister Stephen Smith and defence materiel
minister Jason Clare, the LOR is the latest step in a process assessing
Australia's air combat capability options in the light of delays to
the Lockheed Martin F-35A Joint Strike Fighter and the retirement of the Royal Australian Air Force's 71 F/A-18A/B Hornets."The sending of this LOR does not
commit Australia to purchase more Super Hornets," it says. "It is being
sent so that the Australian Government can consider all options in
2013 with the latest cost and availability information."The timing of any decision indicates that this may be left for a new government, with elections due in 2013.In May, Smith announced that it was
pushing back the acquisition of an initial 12 F-35As until 2014-2015
to reduce costs, adding that it would launch an transition plan to
assess options to ensure that a gap does not emerge in the RAAF's air
combat capability.Australia received its 24 Super
Hornets between March 2010 and October 2011, which were acquired by the
previous government to cover the gap between the retirement of the General Dynamics F-111 fleet and the introduction of the F-35A.In August, Canberra committed to transition 12 of the aircraft to the electronic warfare EA-18 Growler configuration at the end of 2020.

Brazil will keep a long-delayed
acquisition of 36 fighters on hold until the national economy recovers
from an ongoing slump, according to translated remarks by President
Dilma Rousseff.The Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet (below), Dassault Rafale and Saab Gripen NG were shortlisted by the Brazilian air force in 2008 for the F-X2 dealBrazil's government
had expected to sign a contract during 2012, but the award has now been
postponed indefinitely while it diverts funds to bolster the economy
with tax cuts and infrastructure spending, Rousseff says.The final selection "may take some
time", says Rousseff, according to a translation of her responses
during a press conference in Paris.In the "coming months", she adds,
the government hopes the economy will grow at a rate that will allow
the F-X2 award to move forward.The F-X2 deal was expected to be
signed three years ago as the Brazilian economy was booming. But a
series of missteps during the evaluation process first delayed a
contract award, and then the tender was put on hold for a year after
Rousseff's election in November 2010.The latest delay means it is
unlikely that the Brazilian air force will have the new fighters in
operation before the country hosts the 2014 World Cup. Its current
inventory includes 10 Dassault Mirage 2000Cs and 43 Northrop F-5E/EMs, according to

Rafael has for the first time confirmed on record that it is developing a new air-to-air missile.Roni Potasman, Rafael's executive
vice-president for research and development, told Flightglobal that
while air forces in Arab countries have lost much of their potential in
recent years, the situation may change. "Therefore, we continue to
develop advanced air-to-air missiles," he says.The Python-5, which is operational
in the Israeli air force and other air forces, is considered one of the
most advanced and agile "fifth-generation" air-to-air weapons. Sources
say that based on experience, Rafael is now working on a "very
advanced, very surprising missile that will surpass any other
air-to-air missile in the world".

Russia's fourth prototype Sukhoi
T-50 stealth fighter jet took to the skies for the first time Wednesday
in a 40-minute flight at the Komsomolsk-on-Amur factory in Siberia,
Sukhoi said.

"The fourth prototype PAK-FA made its first flight today from the
Gagarin factory in Komsomolsk-on-Amur," Sukhoi said, referring to the
aircraft by its project name, an acronym for future fifth-generation
tactical fighter.

"The flight tested the aircraft's overall integrity and its main
engines. The aircraft is making a good impression in all phases of the
flying programme," Sukhoi said.

The T-50, which will be the core of Russia's future fighter fleet, is a
fifth-generation multi-role fighter aircraft featuring low-observable
technology (stealth), super-manoeuverability, supercruise capability
(supersonic flight without use of afterburner), and an advanced avionics
suite including an X-band active phased-array radar.

The first prototype first flew Jan 29, 2010.

The Russian defence ministry plans to purchase a first batch of 10
evaluation aircraft and then 60 production-standard aircraft after 2015.